My Protector
by search713
Summary: A new female student comes to the school, but refuses to talk to anyone.  Her powers are similar to Wolverine's.  Can he help her come out of her shell?
1. Chapter 1

**My Protector**

Logan sauntered into Professor X's office, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Bobby woke him up at 8am, telling him the professor needed to see him ASAP. Logan entered the office to see Professor Xavier, Storm, and Nightcrawler staring blankly at him. Logan stopped in his tracks. "Did I miss something?"

"Actually, you missed the meeting," Professor Xavier said matter-of-factly. Logan glanced at his watch. 9:15am. Storm shook her head. Professor Xavier looked kindly at Storm and Nightcrawler. "Thank you, you may leave now." They got up and walked out together.

"Where's Wonder boy?" Logan asked.

Professor Xavier sighed. "Scott went to pick up some new students." The professor closed his eyes, sensing something. "And they've just arrived. Come, let's go meet him." The professor pushed the controller on his wheelchair so that his chair moved forward and out of the room, Logan following closely beside.

"You made him do carpool? Man, I would have loved to be there when you told him," Logan said with a grin.

Professor Xavier's chair stopped moving, making Logan stumble forward. "Logan, I need to ask you a favor, and it would be a great help if you agree to assist."

"What is it?" Logan asked apprehensively.

"One of the new students concerns me," Professor X replied. "She arrived on our doorstep early this morning by herself. We don't know how she found us. She is very withdrawn and won't say more than two words to anyone. I would like you to spend some time with her."

"If she won't talk to anyone else, what makes you think she'll talk to me?" Logan asked.

"She has similar powers to yours," the professor answered. "When asked about her powers, she simply stated that she could make her scars disappear. I assume she has the same healing powers you do. She also has similar metal claws, except they come out of her fingernails."

Logan thought a moment. "Do you think she's one of Striker's experiments?"

Professor Xavier shook his head. "No, I think this is different."

Logan huffed loudly. "I don't know, Professor. I'm not cut out to baby-sit."

Professor Xavier smiled. "Just come and meet with her, Logan. That's all I ask."

Chapter 2

Chatter filled the living room of the school. Around twenty kids sat around talking about the exhilarating plane ride, or the magnificent size of the school, or the strange complexions many of the children had. Logan and Professor Xavier appeared at the end of the hall. Logan smirked at Scott, who was calmly trying to pick up the pieces of a vase that a student had just accidentally broken.

"How is everything going?" The professor asked Scott.

"Fine, professor," Scott replied. "Everything went smoothly." The professor caught Logan's attention and nudged his head towards a girl sitting in the left corner, not talking to anyone. Logan couldn't make out what she looked like because a lamp was in front of her.

"How is she doing?" The professor asked Scott.

Scott sighed. "Hasn't said a word," he replied.

The professor nodded. "Scott, please round up the children and take them to the dormitories. I'll have Storm meet you there and take the girls. Logan, why don't you go introduce yourself to this young woman?" Before Logan could protest, the professor had already rolled away.

Scott crossed his arms in front of his chest. "He wants YOU to talk to her?"

Logan stared him down. "Guess so. Maybe he thinks my charms will get her to come around." Scott didn't crack a smile. "Logan, just make sure you're gentle. She may have experienced some trauma."

"Yes, Dr. Freud," Logan teased, walking away from him. Scott followed and loudly announced to the children to follow him. When the girl went to get up, Logan came over and motioned for her to wait.

"Uh, you don't have to go to that. It's only for new kids, and you've been here since…well, this morning," Logan replied. The girl looked nervous. "Um, the professor said you could stay. You know the professor? Bald white guy in a wheelchair?" The girl gave a slight nod.

"I'm…uh…I'm a teacher here, my name's Logan." He put his hand out, but she didn't take it and avoided his gaze. Logan withdrew his hand, grabbing a nearby chair and pulling it up so he was sitting across from her. She fidgeted, looking scared. Upon a closer glance, Logan saw she was not a girl, but a young woman. Although her eyes and mannerisms made her look like a scared little child, he guessed she was around twenty-two years old. She was overweight, had long, straight black hair, and the most beautiful sparkling green eyes Logan had ever seen. Her shoes were caked with dry mud and she wore very ragged, old, tattered clothing. She had three distinct black freckles on each side of her cheeks and dark, bushy eyebrows. Glancing down at her hands, Wolverine saw she wore black gloves like Rogue did; however, the fingertip holes were cut out. Shooting out of the holes were thick, long, metal-like claws, each at least 3 inches thick. It reminded him of the claws the Asian woman he had fought in Striker's laboratory had.

Realizing he was staring at her, the girl rubbed her hands together and looked away.

Logan straightened up, glancing away from her. "So, how do you like it here so far? I know it's kind of a strange place. I nearly pissed myself the first time I came here!" Logan grinned. The girl didn't budge. Logan's smile faded. "Yeah…so what's your name?" The girl didn't answer him. "Well, I don't know what to call you, so just give me any name. Doesn't have to be your real name. Just something I can call you."

The girl looked briefly at him and then looked back away. She opened her mouth to say something. "Shadow," she said softly.

"Shadow?" he asked. She nodded.

"Okay, cool, Shadow it is. Nice to meet you." He looked around, feeling awkward himself. She wouldn't look at him, and started rubbing her fingertips on her pants.

"They itch you?" Logan asked, pointing to her fingers. She stopped moving them suddenly. " I know how irritating they can get, see?" He put his hands to the side and drew his claws out. Shadow jumped in surprise. "Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you," Logan exclaimed, but she had already calmed down and eyed the claws in interest.

"You can retract them?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, yeah I can," he said, excited she had talked. He retracted his claws.

"Wish I could do that," she replied sadly, looking down at her hands.

"Well, this is a good school. The people here are real nice, they can teach you how to use your powers and your…uh…claws."

Shadow immediately seemed to retreat inside her body again. "I…I don't want to learn how to use them. I don't like them. I just came here to stay for a day, but I'm leaving soon," she said speedily. Wolverine went to say something, but she quickly added, "Can I go to my room now, please?"

"Yeah, sure," he answered. Shadow jumped up and walked quickly out of the room.

Logan shook his head, frustrated. "Man, I'm not cut out for this," he said to himself. "They gotta find someone else."

Chapter 3

Logan lay in his bed, having trouble sleeping. He had told the professor he wasn't cut out for working with Shadow, and the professor reluctantly agreed. He assigned Storm to the 'case' and let Logan off the hook. Shadow did end up staying but didn't talk to anyone else. Two days later, he was still lying in bed awake, thinking of her. She looked so scared. Her body was one of an adult, but her eyes were those of a five year old. What had made her so frightened? Logan's thoughts were interrupted at the sight of Scott running frantically past his room in his pajamas. Logan sat up.

"Scott? What's going on?" Logan shouted.

Scott ran back and ducked his head in. "It's that shy girl. She's hurt. They need me in medical," he said, running away. Wolverine jumped up and quickly followed.

"Stop! Leave me alone!" Shadow screamed, blinking back tears, lying on a cold, steel medical table. Storm was next to her.

"Honey, it's O.K., I'm going to help you," Storm said, trying to remain calm.

"No, I'm fine! Please, leave me alone!" Shadow insisted. Scott ran into the medical unit with Logan.

"What's going on?" Logan yelled.

" Help me strap her down," Storm ordered, pulling Shadow's arms down. Scott ran over.

"Let me go!" Shadow cried.

"It's okay. We're not going to hurt you," Scott said, rubbing her head softly.

"Why are you restraining her?" Logan asked Storm.

"Look!" Storm said, pointing to her fingers. Blood poured from her fingertips. Two of her claws were completely cut off, while the others were halfway cut and hanging off, bleeding profusely. The freckles on her cheeks were also bleeding.

"Jesus," Logan muttered in shock.

"She tried to cut off her claws and her whiskers," Storm said, going to find some towels. Logan looked at her cheeks and indeed, whiskers were going out of her black freckles.

Scott gently, but firmly strapped Shadow down and held her head down so she wouldn't hit it on the table. Logan looked at Shadow, who was crying.

"Shadow, why would you do this?" Logan asked her.

"I just want them to go away!" she screamed.

"Listen to me darling; these claws are a part of you. You have nothing to be ashamed of…" Scott said soothingly.

"No! I don't want them! I hate them!" Shadow cried. "Please, let me go!" Logan stood there frozen, not knowing what to do or say. He looked down to find the blood that covered Shadow's fingers was fading away. Magically, the claws were re-generating themselves and growing back.

"They're healing themselves," Logan whispered.

"What?" Shadow screamed, looking down at her fingers. "No, not again! Why can't I make them go away? Why?" Storm came over with a needle.

"What's that?" Logan asked apprehensively.

"It's a sedative, it will calm her down," she said over Shadow's muffled cries. She pulled up Shadow' sleeve and injected her in the arm. Slowly, Shadow quieted and fell asleep. Scott gradually released his grasp from her, stroking her hair tenderly. The small puncture wound on her arm from the injection faded away within a matter of seconds.

Chapter 4

"What is wrong with her?" Logan asked the professor in his office the next morning.

"I don't know, Logan." The professor answered.

"Can't you look into her mind? Find out why she wants to cut off her claws?" Logan asked loudly.

"Yes, Logan, I can. But that wouldn't be right. I would be invading her privacy," Professor Xavier answered simply.

"Screw that. Did you see what she did to herself?" Logan yelled.

"That is why she needs to stay here. She needs to feel comfortable enough to talk to us about what she needs. Without trust, she will never open up."

Logan looked down, his hands on his hips. "I'll talk to her," he said quietly.

"What?" the professor asked.

"I said I'd talk to her!" Logan exclaimed. "If there's anyone here who knows how it feels to hate having claws, it's me!" He stormed out, not seeing the content grin on Professor Xavier's face.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 5

"Okay, now listen here missy!" Logan hollered to Shadow, who was sitting in the library, reading a book. Whiskers stuck out from her freckles and her claws looked like new.

"You're going to come with me," he said, reaching for her hand. Shadow withdrew her hand, looking a little frightened. Logan stopped, telling himself he needed to move slower.

"Look, Shadow," he said softly, sitting down next to her. "We want you to stay here for a while. It's a good place, and I can show you things. You said you didn't like your powers? Well, if you don't want to learn how to use them, then I'll teach you how to control them."

Shadow looked up. "Really?" she asked meekly.

"Yes," he said firmly. "But you have to trust me. I promise that I'm here to help and that I'll always be honest with you. I promise, and I don't break my promises, kid." Shadow looked down, thinking it over.

"But in return…" he continued. "You gotta promise me that you will not try to hurt yourself while you are here, alright?" Shadow looked into his eyes. After a pause, she finally nodded.

"Good, then follow me." He got up and grabbed her lightly by the shoulder. She followed him tentatively. They walked into an elevator, which took them to one of the bottom floors: Shadow didn't know where they were going but at the moment she didn't care. She was too busy keeping an eye on Logan. Oddly enough, he kept his gaze straight ahead. He had such kind eyes, but she could also see pain. He didn't look mean, although she sensed he could be an angry man. For some reason, though, she felt like she could trust him. Shadow shook the thought off. Didn't she learn by now that she couldn't trust people, especially men? The elevator doors opened to reveal an enormous, hollow, dome-shaped room. Every step they made echoed against the metal walls. Metal bars hung from the rafters and in the middle of the round room were a few punching bags. There were several doors at the other end of the room, but the rest of the room was bare. Shadow stopped right outside the elevator, looking up in awe at the ceiling. In the top left corner of the room was an office filled with machines and computers.

"C'mon on, don't be scared," Logan said, taking the palm of her hand in his and guiding her forward.

"I'm not scared," she mumbled, following him, still looking at the ceiling.

"Good," he said, walking over to the punching bags. He guided her right in front of one of them. It was taller than she was. "Now," he said, patting the punching bag. "I want you to slice this bag with her claws."

"What?" she exclaimed.

"You heard me, I want you to take all your frustrations and anger out on this bag, rather than yourself."

Shadow crossed her arms, annoyed. "You told me you would teach me how NOT to use these. You lied to me! I knew it…" she started to walk away.

"No, I AM going to teach you how NOT to use your claws," he said, trying to stay calm with her. "But first you need to learn how to use them. See, once you know that, I can teach you how to fight WITHOUT using them. Sometimes, you may just want to punch someone without slicing their head off."

"I don't want to punch anyone!" she said frantically. "Haven't you been listening? I don't want to learn how to fight!"

"Please, just do this for me. It's self-defense stuff, that's all. Just try it a few times and you won't have to do it again, okay?"

Shadow put her hands on her hips, her claws straight out, huffing loudly. "Alright," she said finally.

Logan smiled. "Good. First, I want you to slice the middle of this bag."

"But I'll ruin it," she said, her face dropping.

"So what? We have dozens in the closets," he said, pointing to the side doors. "Now," he suddenly took his claws out. Shadow jumped back, startled. Logan paid no attention. "I want you to slice right through the middle. It's a strong bag so it might take you a few times." He demonstrated by swinging his claws a few feet away from the bag so he didn't slice it. Shadow took a breath. She walked up to the bag and held her left hand out. Logan nodded, guiding her hand up.

"That's it, back up a little, there you go. Go for it," he said softly. Shadow breathed deeply and swung her hand lightly towards the bag. Her claws barely even touched it. She stopped and looked up.

"Alrighty, well…" Logan shook his head. "That was good, but do it again, harder."

"Harder?" she asked. He nodded impatiently. Shadow put her hand back out in front of her and swung it a little harder. This time, her claws made a tiny rip in the bag.

"Okay, now we're getting somewhere. I want you to keep on doing that really hard. Go ahead!" he said a little louder. Shadow swung harder at the bag, a look of determination on her face. The bag ripped, leaking some sand out.

"Good, again!" Logan shouted. Shadow let out a quiet groan as she punched her fist against the bag, her claws straight out. The bag ripped some more.

"Harder, come on!" The bag split open, sand pouring out.

"Keep going!" Shadow swung hard, her face concentrating on the task. "Keep swinging!" She swung back and forth, the sand flowing out of the bag now. Logan got excited. "Okay, now one more time, but do it really hard so that it breaks. Build it up, and scream out as you hit it. YAAH!" he screamed, putting his fist in the air with his claws out.

"Yah," she meekly said, hitting the bag. The bag moved a little, sand still flowing, but standing strong.

Logan shook his head. "Okay, well good first try," he said reassuringly.

"Yeah?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah," he said, patting her shoulder. "Okay, so the bag is a little worn out but now I want you to try to hit it without your claws."

Shadow caught her breath. "But how do I do that?"

"Well," Logan continued, studying her hands. "Basically, you are going to have to give a crisscross punch from the sides of your hands instead of the fronts." He turned his hand to the side, showing her. "See, turn your hands so that your thumb is pointing out." She did that awkwardly. "Good, I know it's a little weird but if you don't want to stab anyone and just want to punch them, you do it like this." He punched the bag strongly with the sides of his hands, his claws retracted. "With practice, you can learn to punch really good."

"But I don't want to learn how to punch…" Shadow complained.

"Look, just try it," he said warmly. "Now c'mon, punch away." He motioned to the leaking bag. Shadow took a deep breath, stepped up to it, curled her fingers so they lay flat on her palm, and tried to punch it sideways. Her hand wasn't turned all the way, however, and her claws got stuck in the bag.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, withdrawing her hand. A puddle of blood formed around her palm where the claw jabbed her.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" Logan asked in a panic, grabbing her hand. Shadow withdrew it.

"I'm fine, it's just a scratch," she said, as if nothing happened. "Shall I do it again?" she asked immediately, getting her hands back up.

Logan grinned. "Yeah, go for it."

Shadow punched the bag, this time her hand turned all the way.

"Good!" he exclaimed, urging her on. "Do it again!" Shadow punched the bag continuously, alternating between her left and right hands. Logan shouted words of encouragement as she punched consecutively for a few minutes. Seeing she was out of breath, he told her to stop. Shadow backed up, breathing heavily.

"That was so good!" he congratulated. Truthfully, her punches wouldn't have made a dent in anyone but she was getting better. Surprisingly, Shadow had a smile on her face.

"That…" Shadow fought to catch her breath. "That was fun." She giggled.

Logan smiled back. "See? It feels good to fight back. You're strong, Shadow."

Shadow's smile faded. "Nah, I'm not strong."

Logan put his hand on her shoulder. "Yes, you are. I just saw it."

"No, I couldn't even knock the bag away. I'm too weak and too fat to be strong," she mumbled to herself, ashamed.

"Hey!" he said seriously, pushing her chin up to look at him. "You ARE strong, and I am going to help you see that about yourself, okay?" Shadow looked at him in awe. No one had ever wanted to help her like he did. She wondered why he was doing this.

"Did you hear me?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Shadow nodded slightly. Logan patted her shoulder.

"Alright…well, how about tomorrow we meet here, same time. You don't have class now?" She shook her head. "Good, I'll see you here then. Basement level D. Just push that button on the elevator, okay?" She nodded, walking away. Logan let out a sigh, his hands on his hips.

Shadow approached the elevator and hit the 'up' button. She turned back to face him. "Logan?" He looked at her. "Yeah?" he asked nervously.

"Thanks…thanks for all your help," she said awkwardly. Logan lifted a hand to say 'you're welcome'. She gave a small smile as the elevator doors opened. She walked in and left. Logan exhaled loudly as the doors closed.

"Well, it's a start," he said to himself.

Chapter 6

Every day, Logan managed to bring Shadow down to the workout room and help her find her strength. Slowly but surely, Shadow continued to learn fighting moves, both with using and not using her claws. She didn't stop harping about the ugliness or lack of her body's mobility, but as time went on, the exercise practice helped her become more fit, agile, and confident. She lost a good deal of weight and, despite Logan's objectively, he began to realize just how beautiful she really was. He did grow a little wearisome at her persistent lack of self-esteem and self-confidence, but he said nothing and continued to encourage her. Sometimes, he questioned why he put so much energy in helping her get strong. Other times, he felt proud to have such a fine protégé that he could mold and shape. A few weeks in, Logan took her to the simulation rooms where simulated men and women were available to fight against. Shadow wasn't near ready for this but Logan would battle these simulations while she watched in order to teach her defense and offensive tactics. She would then practice kicks and punches on the bags. She even learned how to do flips. She had amazing flexibility when it came to jumps and flips. To his delight, Shadow never missed a session. She would even come at night after dinner by herself to practice. He grew to become very proud of her. Unbeknownst to her, he brought a small sofa chair and a CD player for her in case she wanted to listen to any music or take a sit break while working out.

One night, he lay awake thinking about his new protégé. She was growing stronger physically, but emotionally she still remained a little girl. She refused to accept that she could or would want to defend herself and she resisted the opportunity to fight against the simulators or against Logan himself. Despite his encouragement, she only felt comfortable with inanimate objects. Logan jumped up from the bed, too anxious to sleep. He decided to go down to the workout room and work out some of this blocked energy. Upon the elevator door opening, he found Shadow sleeping on the small sofa chair, mumbling something in her sleep. He grinned. She must have been working out and fell asleep during her break. Logan walked over to her slowly. He couldn't make out what she was saying, but the mumbles were getting louder and more strained. They almost sounded like whimpers.

"Shadow?" he whispered, his eyebrows furrowing in the middle of his forehead. He watched her. Her eyes, although closed, looked frightened and lost. Her body jerked awkwardly, as if she was trying to run away from something. Her mumbling got louder.

"No. No, please. Stop, please!" she cried in a scared little voice.

"Shadow?" he said softly, moving closer.

"Please stop! You're hurting me! Daddy, stop!" Logan put his hand on her shoulder, rocking her to try to wake her up.

"Shadow?" he called out.

"No, stop!" she cried loudly. He rocked her harder and her body jumped, her eyes bolting open. She screamed and her claws instinctively swiped the side of his arm.

"Ah!" he screamed in pain, his arm sporting a long, deep scratch that was starting to bleed. Shadow's head jerked around, trying to register where she was.

"Shadow?" he asked tentatively. Shadow looked at him, bewildered.

"Uh, I must have fallen asleep…" She mumbled something incoherent. Her eyes fell on his bleeding arm. "Oh no, I hurt you! I'm so sorry!"

"It's o.k., it's just a scratch…" Logan commented truthfully. His arm had already started to heal itself.

"No, God, I'm so sorry!" She jumped up, her eyes darting around the room. She backed up towards the elevator, keeping her eyes focused on him. "I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry," she mumbled, breathing loudly.

Logan put his hands out. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have snuck up on you. Are you alright?" Shadow nodded, speaking a mile a minute, backing up towards the elevator and pushing the 'up' button.

"I'm fine. I was asleep…I better go to bed." She nearly ran into the elevator as it opened, her heart beating a mile a minute. "I'm so sorry," she kept repeating as the doors closed, trying desperately not to cry. Logan looked at his arm briefly. It was completely healed already. He stared back at the elevator door, his mouth open in shock and confusion. What had just happened?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 7

Logan walked into computer room B. He wanted to talk to Scott and that was usually where the boy was, playing around on the computers. Ever since Jean had died, Scott retreated back into that office, not really talking to anyone much anymore. Upon walking in the room, Logan did in fact discover Scott on the computer.

"Hey, Wonder boy, I need a favor," Logan said frankly.

"Logan…" Scott said, deeply annoyed, "My name is Scott, not Wonder boy".

Logan went to say something, but caught himself. "Alright, Scott," he emphasized, "I need your help."

"And you came to me?" Scott asked, shocked.

"Well, the professor is at that conference, and Storm's teaching now, so you're the only one left." Scott looked at him hard. "What do you need?" Scott asked. Logan looked around, making sure no one else was there, and then walked over to sit next to Scott.

"Well, it's about Shadow," Logan said awkwardly.

"I thought things were going well," Scott said.

"Yeah, but last night," Logan whispered. "I don't know; she freaked out. She was having a nightmare or something. She was screaming and crying stuff like 'Please stop! You're hurting me!'"

"Well, it may have just been a dream," Scott said calmly. Logan shook his head.

"Believe me, I know about nightmares that are imaginary and nightmares that are flashbacks," Logan remarked. "This was a flashback. She screamed 'daddy' in the dream, like he was hurting her." Scott's face grew serious. Logan shook his head. "I don't know, I think she may have been abused as a kid." Scott took a breath, looking a little anxious. He thought for a moment.

"I'm so stupid…" Scott finally muttered to himself.

"Well, yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" Logan teased.

Scott rolled his eyes. "No, I mean, I can't believe I didn't see it from the beginning! Her shyness, her jumpiness, her unwillingness to talk, it makes sense that she was abused." Scott paused, biting his lip. "Alright, well what do you want me to do?" Scott asked.

Logan looked confused. "I don't know, you're a wiz on this computer stuff, maybe you can find out who she really is and if she was abused before I go questioning her. See if there were any police reports filed or anything…"

Scott shook his head. "No, first you have to look at hospital appointments, neighbor accounts of domestic disturbances, calls to social services, conduct problems in school or frequent visits to the nurses office…" Scott continued. Logan looked at him hard. Scott stopped as he realized Logan was staring at him.

"What?" Scott asked.

"Nothing," Logan said softly. "It's just…you know a lot about this." Scott looked away, conflicted. He let out a nervous laugh.

"Well," Scott looked down at his knees. "I have experience with this," he finally said seriously.

"What do you mean, experience?" Logan asked, confused.

Scott sighed. He looked hard at Logan, as if sizing him up. "When my parents died in the accident, I was sent to live with various foster parents. By then, I knew I had…" He pointed to his eyes, "Well, this 'problem'. Foster parents didn't like that, so many didn't want to take me. One of the guys I stayed with…" Scott paused. His visor hid any pain or discomfort. "Well, let's just say I 'fell down the stairs' a lot. Got the scars on my back to prove just how much I fell down."

Logan looked away, taken aback. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Scott waved him off. "It doesn't matter. Look, I'll see what I can find out about Shadow and let you know." Scott turned towards the computer and started typing away.

Chapter 8

"Hey, are we still on for tonight?" Logan quickly asked Shadow in passing. She had been avoiding him lately, but he spotted her walking to class. Shadow didn't look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry Logan, I can't today. I have so much homework." She went to walk away, hugging her books.

"Wait, come here a sec," he whispered, pulling her away from the crowds of people walking into a corner. He put his hands on her shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes. "You don't have to feel bad or embarrassed about the last time. And if you need to talk, I'm here."

Shadow shifted out of his grip. "I know that, and I appreciate all your help, but I really need to get going," she said, walking away. Logan sighed loudly, putting his hands on his hips. He didn't know what to do next.

Chapter 9

"Logan," Scott called into the room, a file in his hands. Logan jumped up from the couch. He must have dozed off.

"Yeah, what?" Logan asked, rubbing his eyes.

Scott glanced around and then sat down next to Logan. "I did some research on Shadow by looking up her demographics: you know, hair color, age, any incidents related to her mutations. I found something through my contact at social services." Scott handed Logan a file. On the top had a picture of a fourteen-year old girl that looked just like Shadow.

"Her real name is Charlotte Donaldson. Her mother died when she was nine years old, her father is the president of a large oil company. We're talking big bucks here."

"Yeah, so what did you find?" Logan asked impatiently.

"Neighbors called Social Services on numerous occasions to report screaming and crying in the house, glass breaking, you name it. Social Services came to check out Shadow, but…" Scott shrugged bitterly.

Logan looked up, his eyes widening. "There was no physical evidence," he gasped.

Scott nodded, pointing to the files. "Right, she would heal before anyone could come to check her out. One time, the police got there and found blood on her bedroom wall, matched her DNA and everything, but she had no physical scars so they couldn't convict the bastard."

"Son of a bitch," Logan whispered through clenched teeth.

"It gets worse, Logan," Scott said sadly. "Four years ago, when she was eighteen, her father was taken to the hospital with slash marks across his face and body. Claimed his daughter attacked him. Again, the police checked out the house and found both hers and her father's blood, but no daughter. She ran away, and they haven't seen her since." Logan looked up at Scott. "She's a fugitive, Logan. She probably has been living on the streets for the past four years." Logan breathed deeply, trying to control his anger. He finally patted Scott warmly on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Scott. I owe you one." He left the room quickly.

Chapter 10

Shadow sat on a barstool at the kitchen counter, eating out of a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Her hair was all tangled, her eyes were worn and bloodshot, and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. Logan walked into the kitchen behind her, staring at her. Shadow sensed someone was behind her, and turned around. Seeing it was Logan, she turned back to her ice cream. Logan walked over.

"What are you doing up so late?" he asked casually.

She shrugged. "Couldn't sleep," she said, going over to the trash and throwing out the pint.

"You haven't come for your training lately," he said firmly.

Shadow huffed. "I haven't felt like it," she said, sounding a little annoyed. "Look, I appreciate all your help, but I'm just not cut out for this. I'm packing my bags. I'm going to be leaving tomorrow afternoon."

Logan crossed his arms. "Where will you go? Home?" he asked.

Shadow paused. "I don't have a home, Logan. I'll find a place."

Logan shifted his feet, debating what to say. "You know, when I first got here, I didn't want to stay. I thought this was all bullshit. I felt lost…and so angry. I didn't know who I was, so I kept on running. Running away from my past. I didn't like who I was back then, the things I did, the things that were done to me, but as much as I tried to block it out, the memories just kept on coming." Shadow stared at him emotionless.

"But then you know what happened?" Logan said, approaching her. She shrugged.

Logan grabbed her shoulders gently. "I learned that I could start over: become a new person. I found a purpose here, a place where I would be accepted as a mutant, a place I could help people, a place where people wouldn't judge me for the things in my past." Logan paused, looking into Shadow's blank eyes. "What are you running from, Shadow?"

Shadow shook her head. "I'm not running from anything, Logan," she said firmly.

Logan stared hard at her. "I think you are…Charlotte."

Shadow's eyes widened. How did he know her name?

"What is this?" she asked apprehensively. "Are you a cop?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I just want to help you. Talk to me. What are you running from?"

"Look, it's none of your business!" she said, walking past him. Logan gently grabbed her arm, and turned her around. She looked back up at him, not in fear but in confusion.

"What? What do you want from me?" she asked.

"I want you to trust me," he said kindly. "You can't run away from your past. I know. I've tried. You have to confront it, head on. You have to fight against whoever is hurting you."

"It's not that simple. You don't know…" Shadow cut off.

"Then talk to me. I can help you."

Shadow shook her head. "No one can help me," she said, looking down.

He lifted her chin gently. "I can help you, I can protect you." He gazed into her eyes kindly. "All you have to do is let me." She looked back into his eyes. He let her go and walked away, leaving her alone standing in the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 11

Logan sat in the workout room, waiting for Shadow to show up. He looked at his watch, frustrated. She was fifteen minutes late. Just when he went to get up and leave, the elevator door opened. Out walked Shadow in black sweats and a black T-shirt. She walked in determinedly. They stared at each other.

"Need protection?" Logan teased.

Shadow shook her head, a grin on her face. "I came to learn how to protect myself."

Logan smiled back. "Okay, then let's get started." She stood in the middle of the room, her arms out and her legs spread, ready for attack. Logan went up to the office and pushed a few buttons.

"You ready?" he called over the loudspeaker. Shadow nodded seriously. Logan put on some heavy rock music. Shadow took a deep breath. Logan pushed a button and suddenly ten punching bags hung from the ceiling. Shadow ran for the first one, striking it across the middle with her claws, the bag ripping into shreds. She immediately ran towards the second one, kicked and punched it, then did a front flip and stabbed the third bag with her claw. She back-punched the second bag and then leaped for the fourth one. She continued down the line, dodging, punching, and stabbing all the bags to the sound of the music. As the tenth one went down, a siren went off. She looked up and ten more bags dropped from the ceiling, this time suspended in mid-air. Shadow eyed the metal bar near the rafters. She took a breath and broke out into a speedy run. Two feet from hitting the opposite wall, she ran up it sideways and jumped nearly fifteen feet in the air. She grabbed the metal bar with her hands and then flipped herself up on it. The bags lay suspended from the bar. She slid down the first one, and kicked the ones on her side in the air. Flipping through the air, she cut through the rest of the bags and then jumped down the fifteen feet to the floor. Logan turned the music off, looked at the stopwatch where he'd been timing her, and smiled with pride. Shadow, trying to catch her breath, looked up at him. He smiled at her proudly and gave her the thumbs up sign.

She grinned with satisfaction, feeling the strength in her body that Logan had meant for her to feel all along. For the first time in her life, she felt completely safe…because she was with him.


	5. Chapter 5

Months had passed since Shadow first came to the school and Logan couldn't have been more proud of her. She was working out with him nearly every evening in the training room, she was excelling in her studies, and she was even conversing with some of the other students.

"She's certainly come out of her shell," Scott commented one day on a school field trip to the history museum.

"Yeah, it's like she's a whole new person," Logan replied, watching Shadow laughing and chatting with some of the female students near the gift shop.

"Thanks to you," Scott said. Logan grinned. He was about to thank Scott for his assistance these past few weeks but stopped as he saw the worried look on Scott's face.

"What's wrong?" Logan asked. Scott motioned with his head towards a large television screen that hovered in the museum lobby. Logan turned and saw a distinguished looking man in a suit on screen. His hair was thick and black with just the hint of gray and his white teeth were in a wide grin. The television was mute so he couldn't hear what the man was saying, but directly below his figure were the words "Arthur Donaldson, President of Shamco Oil Company, vows to lower the price of gas nationwide."

"So what? It's just a commercial," Logan said to Scott, confused.

"Logan, that man, Arthur Donaldson," Scott whispered. "That's Shadow's father."

Logan's eyes widened. Donaldson. Shadow's real name was Charlotte Donaldson. He looked around for Shadow, hoping to stop her from seeing the ad, but he couldn't find her. She was no longer with the group of girls. He ran over to them. "Hey, where's Shadow?" he asked the girls. "She was just with you a moment ago."

"She saw something on the television and ran off," one of the girls said, concerned. "She looked a bit upset."

Logan cursed to himself. "We need to find her," he told Scott.

"Okay, I'll tell Storm and Nightcrawler," Scott said calmly. "We'll spread out and look for her. She can't have gotten far."

Logan quickly walked around the museum, looking for Shadow. His worry was growing. Where could she have gone? He tried to put himself in her shoes. What would he do if the face of his abuser was plastered on the television set? Suddenly, a thought came to him. He rushed towards the exit of the building and ran outside. Schoolchildren and families were everywhere. The museum was a popular field trip attraction. He looked towards the streets and there, hailing a cab, was Shadow.

"Shadow!" he called out. For a moment, he thought she didn't hear him. But then, slowly, she turned and looked at him. Her face was emotionless.

"Wait!" he called as he ran towards her. But it was too late. She had already turned and gotten into the cab. Before he could stop her, she was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

"Where did she go?" Scott mused out loud. Logan paced back and forth in front of Cerebro.

He had an idea why she had taken off; he just hoped it wasn't the truth. A minute later, Professor X approached them.

"Professor," Logan started.

"I know," the professor interrupted, already rolling his wheelchair into Cerebro. "I will find her."

Logan stood outside anxiously while the professor used Cerebro to find Shadow. His fears were confirmed when the professor came back out.

"She's at Shamco's headquarters in Virginia," the professor told them.

Logan immediately started walking away. Scott went to follow but the professor stopped him.

"You can't stop her," a voice inside Logan's head told him. Logan shook it off. He knew the professor was talking to him telepathically.

"I can sure as hell try," Logan growled back.

"Logan, she needs to face her past, or else she'll never truly recover," the professor's voice whispered in his head. "You have to let her go."

"It's too dangerous," Logan said out loud, going towards the garage. "If I can't stop her, then I'm at least going to make sure she isn't alone."

Logan jumped on his motorcycle and sped away.

An hour later, he was outside Shamco's headquarters. Two guards stood outside the front entrance. For a moment, he feared Shadow had already gone inside, but his fears were lessened when his senses told him she was close. He looked around and spotted a female figure in black crouching behind a tree in the distance. Quietly, he approached her from behind.

"Why are you here?" Shadow suddenly asked, not turning but clearly sensing his presence.

"I'm here to make sure you don't make a stupid mistake," Logan told her, crouching beside her.

Shadow kept her eyes focused on the headquarters' entrance.

"I can handle this myself," she murmured.

"Ah, so you're a pro now," Logan said sarcastically. "You're just gonna plow through those guards, go in blind, take down whoever gets in your way, and then go after your father with no backup. Great plan."

"I'm not an idiot, Logan," Shadow answered angrily, finally looking back at him. "I'm waiting until he leaves the office. Then I'll follow him home. He'll have a few bodyguards with him but I can handle it."

"You're delusional if you think I'm letting you go after him alone," Logan said through gritted teeth.

"This isn't your fight, Logan!" Shadow told him, eyes baring him down. "It's mine."

"And once you find him, get him alone, what then?" Logan asked her. "Kill him?"

Shadow turned away, not answering.

Logan sighed and sat down beside her. "Look, I know what you're going through…"

"No, you don't," she said quietly, not looking at him. "You have no idea what he did to me."

Logan took a deep breath and gently turned her to him. "Then tell me."

Shadow's eyes were filled with pain and emotion. "He took everything from me. My self-esteem, my dignity, my sense of safety." Shadow shook her head and turned away. "He hated me so much. Not just because of what I was, but because of what I did."

Logan looked at her, confused. "What did you do?"

Tears formed in her eyes, but she took care to hide it from Logan. "My mother. It's my fault she's dead."

Logan's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"She died," Shadow said, her voice breaking. "Trying to save me. We were visiting the city, shopping. I was crossing the street and this car came out of nowhere. My mother pushed me out of the way…and the car hit her instead."

Shadow bunched her fist and looked at Logan pleadingly. "Why did she do that? It wouldn't have mattered if I got hit. I could have healed myself. It's my fault she's dead!"

Logan sighed. "Shadow, that wasn't your fault. It was an accident."

Shadow suddenly stood and started pacing behind the tree. Logan stood up quickly. "He blamed me. Every day, I could see the disgust in his eyes. The hatred. My very existence reminded him that she was no longer on this earth. He took care reminding me of that fact every day, finding excuses to take it out on me."

"He hit you?" Logan said, more of a declaration than a question.

Shadow nodded, still looking at the ground. "It didn't matter what I did. He found reasons to come after me. It started escalating when he learned my scars would heal. He was always so angry."

"Shadow, he had no right to hurt you," Logan told her.

Shadow ignored him, lost in her memories. "I didn't try to stop him. He was all I had. I thought if I could just be a good daughter, that he's stop. That eventually, he'd love me. But he never stopped."

Logan fisted his hands, trying to subdue the range that was bottling up inside him.

"One day, he came home, really drunk," Shadow continued, finally looking at Logan. "Drunker than usual. I prepared myself for another beating. Didn't see the knife though."

Logan's eyes widened. "Shadow…"

She interrupted him, walking a few inches away. "He was furious, screaming at how he couldn't stand to look at me. How I was a freak of nature and that I didn't deserve to be alive. I ran into my bedroom and locked the door." Shadow started breathing heavily, closing her eyes, reliving the nightmare. "But he was too strong. He broke down the door, grabbed me by the neck, and threw me on the bed. Then he hovered over me…and he started stabbing me with the knife."

Logan shut his eyes, rage filling him. "Bastard."

"I thought I was going to die," she said, her eyes unfocused and tired. "But after a few minutes I felt better. I stood and he looked at me with a look I had never seen." Shadow looked at Logan. "It was fear in his eyes." Shadow spread her fingers, looking at her claws. "I don't remember much after that. The next thing I knew, I was being taken away by a police officer. He said I had attacked my father, unprovoked. I knew that he was going to get away with everything. So I broke free and ran. I just kept on running…until I found the school."

Shadow took a deep breath and her eyes were focused again.

Logan just looked at her for a moment. "You were brave," he began.

Shadow's eyes went dark. "I wasn't brave. I was a coward!" She pushed past him to the tree, keeping an eye on the building again. "I should have killed him. A mistake I'm about to rectify."

"Shadow," Logan put his hand on her shoulder, but she quickly shrugged him off, her gaze focused on the building. Logan paced anxiously behind her. "Look, you may not believe this, but I understand what you're going through." Shadow turned slightly towards him. "You have every right to hate him," Logan told her, his eyes hard. "He deserves to die for what he did to you. But killing him will not bring you peace." Shadow eyed him, her expression unreadable. Logan leaned down so he could stare at her level. "I was in your shoes. Filled with rage and thoughts of revenge. I wanted to kill my maker, hurt him for what he did to me and my friends. But I had to make a choice." Logan looked down, recalling his last meeting with Stryker.

"One would get me my revenge, but it would cause me to sink down to his level, become like him. The other would set me free." Logan put his hand on her shoulder. "I chose the latter. I chose to stop running, to stop living in the past, and stay with the mutants. And it freed me."

Shadow stared at him, feeling the support radiating from his hand on her shoulder.

Logan met her gaze. "You can be free too, Shadow. Come home with me. Because that's what the school is. It's your home."

She bit her lip, not knowing what to do. He had changed her life. Taught her how to stand up for herself, to fight when she was nothing but a weakling. Now that she had learned the skills she needed to beat her father, she didn't know if she could go through with it.

Logan sensed her ambivalence. "It's your decision, Shadow," he said, standing. "If you want to go after your father, I won't stop you. I'll help you get your revenge. But if you want to leave this place and never look back, I'll help you do that too. Whatever you decide, I got your back, kid."

Logan put his hand out. "What's your decision?"


	7. Chapter 7

"Shadow!" Storm exclaimed, embracing the girl as she strolled back into the school. Shadow gave Storm a big hug, allowing herself to be comforted by the woman.

"Where have you been?" Storm asked. "We've been worried sick."

Shadow looked back at Logan, who was standing in the doorway. "I'm sorry," she said, turning back to Storm. "It won't happen again."

Storm smiled warmly. "C'mon, I bet you're starving," she said, placing her arm around Shadow's shoulder and walking with her towards the cafeteria.

Logan walked inside to where he found Scott and the professor standing in the hallway.

"What happened?" Scott asked him.

"She was strong," Logan answered. "Stronger than I would have been." He looked back at Shadow and Storm. "I don't think she needs my protection anymore. She's going to be okay."

Scott walked away, not saying anything. Logan looked after him, confused at his reaction.

He then looked down at the professor, who was beaming back at him. "She'll make a fine X-men someday," the professor told him.

Logan patted him on the shoulder. "Yeah, but let's give her some time to be a student yet. She's due for a break." The professor agreed and began pondering the next student he could get Logan to help out with.

A month later, Logan was watching the news on television in the common room when his jaw dropped.

"Yesterday, a massive fire broke out at Shamco Oil Company's headquarters in Virginia," the reporter said, a photo of a completely demolished building burning in the background. "Fortunately, no one was hurt but the oil containers exploded, destroying everything inside the building. Sources say this damage will cripple Shamco's Company, costing President Donaldson millions of dollars in product and revenue."

Logan jumped up and went to find Shadow. He didn't have to look far, for she was running towards him.

"Did you do this?" Shadow exclaimed.

Logan looked confused. "No, did you?" Shadow shook her head. They stared at each other for a moment, bewildered. "I guess it was just an accident," Logan said.

Shadow nodded, a small satisfied smile crossing her face. "Guess what goes around comes around," she commented, walking away a little taller. Logan agreed. He stood there a moment, pondering what could have happened. Suddenly, something flashed in his mind. He turned to Nightcrawler, whom he saw walking…well, creeping…in the halls.

"Hey, where's Scott?" Logan asked him.

"Mr. Summers is in the garage," Nightcrawler told him. "He just got back from his camping trip."

Logan nodded and ran towards the garage. He saw Scott sitting on his motorcycle, staring at the ground, a little bit out of breath.

"Scott," Logan greeted casually. Scott stood up, a little too quickly.

"Logan," he answered, rubbing his hands on his pants.

"How was camping?" Logan asked. He didn't hear Scott's answer, though, because he was too busy noticing the stains of ash on Scott's pants and his burnt jacket arm.

Logan looked back at Scott. "Scott, what did you do?"

Scott shrugged. "I don't know what you mean."

There was silence between them for a moment. Logan motioned to Scott's ensemble. "You might want to change before anyone sees you."

Scott looked down at his pants and his breath caught. He slowly looked back at Logan, realizing he knew. "He deserved worse than his business crumbling," Scott said strongly.

Logan just nodded.

Scott studied him for a moment. "Are you going to tell anyone?" he asked quietly.

Logan shrugged casually. "Tell them what?"

Scott sighed.

Logan smiled, shaking his head.

"What?" Scott asked wearily.

"Nothing," Logan said, grinning. "I always thought you were such a goody two shoes."

"Disappointed?" Scott asked.

"No," Logan answered. "Impressed."

Scott smiled slightly. Logan patted him on the shoulder. "C'mon, let's get a beer."

THE END


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